MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY Independence - Freedom - Happiness

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COURSE SYLLABUS
FOR FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

1. COURSE NAME: English - Integrated Skills 1

Code: NNTM1116 Number of Credit: 3

2. DEPARTMENT IN CHARGE OF INSTRUCTION:

Business English Department; Faculty of Foreign Languages

Office: Room 105-107, 6B Building, National Economics University.

Office Hours: 8:00-17:00, Monday-Friday

Office Telephone: 84.438692255

3. PRE-REQUISITE: None

4. COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed for NEU first year students who are majored in English for
Business, and at the pre-intermediate level. This is the first of four English courses
focusing on practising integrated skills.
The course helps students to improve all 4 skills Reading, Listening, Speaking and
Writing in business context.

5. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
-Pronounce English vowels and consonants correctly;
-Use grammatically correct sentences with Simple Present, Continuous Present, Present
Perfect, Simple Past, Future tenses; Modals;
-Use about 600 basic English words and/or phrases and 100 business expressions;
-Function well in social and working contacts: exchanging information, telephoning,
negotiating, etc.;
-Give 1 minute talk on a particular topic, e.g. a working procedure;
-Write emails, letters, report (within 80-100 words);
-Read paragraphs (within 250-300 words) on business activities and business
environment, e.g. a job, a business trip, euro, export market...;
-Listen to conversations, interviews (about 1 minute-length; 100-150 words) on particular
topics such as recruitment, organizing structure, supermarket system, payment, etc. for
general ideas and/or specific information such as multiple choices, information gap, T or F
statements;
- Enhance their learning and working skills through such activities as role playing, task
solving, discussion, case studies.

6. COURSE CONTENTS

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
15 weeks; 75’/ period; 2 periods/ week

In details
Total Practice,
Week Contents
hours Theory Discussion,
Exams
1 Introduction 2 1 1
Unit 1. Careers: - Starting up
- Vocabulary: Career moves
- Reading: Be aware of your online image
2 Unit 1. Careers (continued) 2 1 1
- Listening: Changing jobs
- Language review: Modals 1: ability, requests and
offers
- Skills: Telephoning: making contact
- Case study
- Writing: email
3 Unit 2. Companies: - Starting up 2 1 1
- Vocabulary: Describing companies
- Listening: A successful company
- Reading: Two different organizations
- Language review: Present simple and present
continuous
4 Unit 2. Companies (continued) 2 1 1
- Skills: Presenting your company
- Case study
- Writing: proposal
Unit 3. Selling: - Starting up
- Vocabulary: Making sales
- Listening: Selling on TV
- Reading: Sales skills
5 Unit 3. Selling (continued) 2 1 1
- Language review: Modals 2: must, need to, have to,
should
- Skills: Negotiating: reaching agreement
- Case study
- Writing: letter
* Unit A: Revision
6 Unit 4. Great ideas: - Starting up 2 1 1
- Vocabulary: Verb and noun combinations
- Listening: Great business ideas
- Reading: Three great ideas
- Language review: Past simple and past continuous
- Skills: Successful meetings
7 Unit 4. Great ideas (continued) 2 1 1
- Case study (optional)
- Writing: report
Unit 5. Stress: - Starting up
- Vocabulary: Stress in the workplace
- Listening: Dealing with stress
- Reading: Business owners feeling stressed
8 Unit 5. Stress (continued) 2 1 1
- Language review: Past simple and present perfect
- Skills: Participating in discussions
- Case study
- Writing: report
Unit 6. Entertaining: - Starting up
- Vocabulary: Eating and drinking
- Listening: Corporate events
9 Unit 6. Entertaining (continued) 2 1 1
- Reading: Corporate entertainment
- Language review: Multiword verbs
- Skills: Socialising: greeting and small talk
- Case study (optional)
- Writing: email
* Unit B: Revision
10 Revision and Written midterm test 2 1 1
11 Unit 7. New business: - Starting up 2 1 1
- Vocabulary: Economic terms
- Listening: New business
- Reading: New business ideas
 12 Unit 7. New business (continued) 2 1 1
- Language review: Time clauses
- Skills: Dealing with numbers
- Case study
- Writing: email
Unit 8. Marketing: - Starting up
- Vocabulary: Word partnerships
- Listening: Marketing pharmaceuticals
13 Unit 8. Marketing (continued) 2 1 1
- Reading: Adidas and the Chinese market
- Language review: Questions
- Skills: Telephoning: exchanging information
- Case study
- Writing: email
14 Speaking assignment: Mini presentation 2 1 1
15 CONSOLIDATION 2 1 1
Total 30 15 15

BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF EACH UNIT

Unit 1 - Careers
Unit 1 provides a number of words and phrases relating to the topic ‘careers’. Listening,
speaking and reading exercises about jobs are also given to students. Language review
section revises modals 1 (ability, requests and offers). Writing section: email

Unit 2 - Companies
Unit 2 provides a number of words and phrases for describing companies. Listening and
reading exercises are about successful organisations. Language review section revises two
tenses: present simple and present continuous. Writing section: proposal
Unit 3 - Selling
Students are equipped with words and phrases for making sales. Listening and reading
exercises are about sales skills and negotiation skills. Language review section revises
modals 2 (must, need to, have to, should). Writing section: letter
Unit 4 – Great ideas
Students learn Verb and noun combinations. Listening and reading exercises are about
great business ideas. Language review section revises two tenses (past simple and past
continuous). Writing section: report
Unit 5 - Stress
Unit 5 provides a number of words and phrases about stress in the workplace. Listening
and reading exercises are about how to deal with stress. Language review section revises
two tenses (past simple and present perfect). Writing section: report
Unit 6 - Entertainment
Students are equipped with words and phrases about eating and drinking. Listening and
reading exercises are about corporate entertainment. Language review section revises
multiword verbs. Writing section: email
Unit 7 – New business
Students are equipped with economic terms. Listening and reading exercises are about
new business and new business ideas. Language review section revises time clauses.
Writing section: email
Unit 8 – Marketing
Unit 8 provides a number of words and phrases relating to the topic ‘marketing’. Speaking
is about the marketing mix and marketing campaign. Listening and reading exercise are
about marketing campaign of several companies. Language review section revises kinds of
questions. Writing section: email

7. REQUIRED TEXTBOOK & COURSE MATERIALS

Cotton, D; Falvey, D & Kent, S. (2012). Market Leader 3rd edition, Pre-Intermediate
(Student’s Book). Pearson Education Limited. (Spain: Longman)
Cotton, D; Falvey, D & Kent, S. (2012). Market Leader 3rd edition, Pre-Intermediate
(Practice File). Pearson Education Limited. (Spain: Longman)

8. RECOMMENDED TEXTS & OTHER READINGS

1. Clarke, S. (2003). In company. Spain: Macmillan.
2. Evans, D. (2003). Powerbase. England: Longman.
3. Nauton, J. (2003). Head for business. Italy: Oxford.
4. Naunton, J. (2004). Profile, Pre-Intermediate. England: Oxford

9. ASSESSMENT & GRADING POLICY

An overall and on–going policy will be applied. All four language skills and
knowledge will be assessed throughout the course; the students’ participation with in-and-
off class activities and their homework fulfillment are also part of the assessment.

Criteria % Requirements
Attendance + Participation 10% To participate at least 80% of
class hours, get involved in
class activities and complete
homework exercises fully
Midterm test 1 (Written test) 20%
Midterm test 2 (Speaking 20%
assignment)
Final test 50%
Total 100%
Test and exam details
Mid-term written test
The 60-minute written test is carried out in week 9. The test consists of four parts:
- Part I: Vocabulary (multiple choice)
- Part II: Reading (one reading passage about 400 words followed by various questions)
- Part III: Writing an email
- Part IV: Listening

Final test: 2 sections - Reading (about 50’) and Listening (about 35’) in the
format of BEC Preliminary
The full format of the BEC Preliminary: The BEC Preliminary examination consists of
three papers:
- READING and WRITING: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- LISTENING: 40 minutes (approximately)
- SPEAKING: 12 minutes
* Test of READING and WRITING
The Reading section consists of seven parts with 45 questions, which take the form of two
multiple matching tasks, four multiple choice tasks, and a form-filling or note completion task.
Part 1 contains five very short texts, Part 2 contains one short text, and Part 3 contains graphs,
charts, or tables. Part 4,5 and 6 each contain one longer text. Part 7 contains two short texts. The
texts are mainly taken from newspapers, business magazines, business correspondence, books,
leaflets, brochures, etc. They are all business-related, and are selected to test a wide range of
reading skills and strategies.
For the Writing section, candidates are required to produce two pieces of writing. For Part
1, they write a note, message, memo or email to a colleague or colleagues within the company.
For Part 2, they write a piece of business correspondence to somebody outside the company.
Candidates are asked to write 30 or 40 words for Part 1 and 60 to 80 words for Part 2. For
Part 1, assessment is based on achievement of task. For Part 2, assessment is based on
achievement of task, range and accuracy of vocabulary and grammatical structures, organization,
content, and appropriacy of register and format.
* Test of LISTENING
This paper consists of four parts with 30 questions, which take the form of two multiple choice
tasks and two note completion tasks. Part 1 contains eight very short conversations or
monologues, Part 2 contains a short conversation or monologue, Part 3 contains a monologue, and
Part 4 contains one longer text. The texts are audio-recordings based on a variety of sources
including interviews, telephone calls, face-to-face conversations and documentary features. They
are all business-related, and are selected to test a wide range of listening skills and strategies.
* Test of SPEAKING
The Speaking test consists of three parts, which take the form of an interview section, a short
presentation on a business topic, and a discussion. In the standard test format, candidates are
examined in pairs by two examiners: an interlocutor and an assessor. The assessor awards a mark
based on the following four criteria: Grammar and Vocabulary, Discourse Management,
Pronunciation and Interactive Communication. The interlocutor provides a global mark for the
whole test.
NOTE: The final test of the first semester consists of only two parts: Reading (about 50’)
and Listening (about 35’) in the format of BEC Preliminary

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT PRESIDENT

Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, M.A Prof. Dr. Pham Hong Chuong